Ruairí Quinn
Ceist:23 Mr. Quinn asked the Minister for Health the reason (1) for the complete lack of incentives for encouraging preventative medicine in the new GMS contract, (2) that there are no incentives for general practitioners to encourage GMS patients to have tests on blood cholesterol carried out as a preventive measure and (3) that there is no incentive for any general practitioner to encourage GMS patients to try to lose weight, exercise more, improve diet and cease smoking; and if in view of the fact that lower socio-economic groups have a poorer diet, smoke more, and have significantly higher standardised mortality rates for ischaemic heart disease and chronic obstructive airways disease, he will outline the reason for the lack of any incentives for GP's to attempt to prevent these ailments within the framework of the new GMS contract.